Page 24 Daily Mail, Tuesday, August 27, 2019Y
es, Me hearties. If
thou hast tears to
spare, prepare to shed
them now into the
briny sorrow of the
unceasing Cornish waves.
For Poldark (BBC1) has ridden
his last at last. The final series
ended as the first began; on a
clifftop drenched with sea spray
and romance, with the future
looking uncertain, the horizon
looking unclear and the lead actors
looking superb.
Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) and
wife Demelza (eleanor Tomlinson)
said their farewells as the salty
wind ruffled their ringlets — but
their love remained immutable.
‘Two beats, one heart, you can’t
ask any more than that,’ said
Demelza, but proving that in the
next breath, actually she could.
‘Ross, you will come back?’ she
begged last night.
‘I swear to you my love, I will
return,’ he said, frock coat a-flutter
as stalked towards the churning
sea, preparing to sail off for some
sort of new career as an interna-
tional spy, destination unknown,
mission no doubt impossible. The
name is Poldark, Ross Poldark.M
AyBe so, but in
the name of salted
pilchards, hasn’t this
man done enough for
king and country already?
Over five wonderful series
Captain Poldark has been a veteran
of the American Revolution, then a
farmer, fisherman, mine owner, MP,
husband, lover, father and topless
scyther extraordinaire.
He has been on trial for murder,
accused of treason, saved the King
from an assassination attempt,
seen his best friend hang and
buried one of his own children.
Along the way he showed us he
could thatch a barn, eat a syllabub,
duel with swords or pistols, dance agavotte and even save a damsel in
distress should the need arise.
‘Which of us do not secretly adore
him?’ cried his poor, doomed
cousin Francis Poldark (Kyle
soller), way back in series two.
Which of us indeed? Though there
were doubts in the beginning.
Back in 2015, the BBC knew it
was courting controversy with a
new TV adaptation of Poldark by
Debbie Horsfield from the
celebrated novels by Winston
Graham. For the original series,
first shown in 1975, was one of the
most popular period dramas ever
produced by the BBC.
Devoted fans like me worried
that no new production could
compete with the original, nor
could any actors replace Robin
ellis and Angharad Rees, who were
the perfect Ross and Demelza.
yet this new Poldark surpassed
all expectations and became a
huge triumph in its own right.
everything about it was fabulous.
A crack cast, a wonderful script
and an emotive soundtrack from
Anne Dudley all helped to deliver a
sunday night classic that attracted
audiences of around five million,
and became a worldwide hit.
Last night Poldark came to a close
with a pleasing air of redemption
and vengeance; of scores settled
and grudges finally unglued.
After spending every minute of
every episode trying to kill him,
George Warleggan (Jack Farthing,
always marvellous) saved Poldark’slife and was the unlikely hero
of the day — though many of
us can never forgive him
for what he did
to Aunt Agatha (Caroline
Blakiston), who died of
disappointment after he
cancelled her 100th birthday
party in series three. Rotter.
yes, it was delightful that
Morwenna (ellise Chappell)
had a baby while Caroline
(Gabriella Wilde) and Dr enys
(Luke Norris) found love again.
yet the most moving scene was
an unexpected one between
the Poldarks old and new.
It was always a lovely touch
that the original Poldark Robin
ellis was cast in the new version
as cantankerous judge, Rever-
end Halse. And at last these
captains had a scene together,
when they seemed to say so much
more than the words in the script.
‘your servant, sir,’ said young
Poldark to Old Poldark.
‘And yours, sir,’ Old Poldark
replied, as they smiled and bowed
to each other. The baton had been
passed. The race was over at last.H
OWeVeR, this final
series was not my
favourite. An unwelcome
air of melodrama
thundered in, louder than the
horse hooves that forever galloped
back and forth along the cliffs.
even George, always a reliable
fount of evil, began to struggle
with his relentless nastiness.
Those bereavement therapy
treatments from Dr enys, involving
essential oils and massage,
dissolved his pale rage and turned
him into a kinder man. The
wonders of lavender oil!
And it was preposterous that if
Ross was such a good spy, why he
did not espy the spy a-spying in his
own stable? Look behind you!
yet as the curtain comes down on
more than four years of Poldark
fun, there is so much more to
celebrate than to censure. He first
appeared in a dashing swirl of
cape, a tricorn hat atop his bible
black curls, a thin scar running
down his left cheek.
Under a thunderous Cornish sky,
beneath a cloud of notoriety, a new
Captain Ross Poldark had returned
to Cornwall to reclaim his destiny
— only to discover that his father
is dead, his house is a wreck and histin mines are derelict. To make
matters worse, the woman he
loves, thinking him dead, is
engaged to marry his milksop
cousin, Francis.
‘Good God, elizabeth. From the
moment I set eyes on you, no one
else existed!’ he cries, but it is too
late and he has to marry his
scullery maid Demelza instead.
And so began this particular
reincarnation of one of the most
enduring and popular love triangles
in modern British fiction. Until she
died in series four, elizabeth(Heida Reed) was a quivering
beanpole in aubergine velvet, her
pillowy lips trembling with
suppressed desire for Ross.
she married the wrong man and
had her lover’s baby, while flame-
haired temptress Demelza luxuri-
ated in an impeccable complexion
and an air of sexual awakening.
Plotlines throbbed with passion,
thwarted and otherwise. There
was a controversial sex scene
between Poldark and elizabeth in
series two. Was it rape? The BBC
insisted it was consensual and,JAN’S TOP MOMENTS
Oh what briny
sorrow! We’ll
never see Cap’n
Ross soaping up
in his bath again
jan
moir
View from the sofa
FRIENDS AGAIN
DEMELZA sponges husband
Ross as he takes a tin bath in
front of the fire. It is the viewers’
favourite scene from the whole
of series two.Windswept farewell: Demelza
and redoubtable Captain RossWEDDED BLISS?
AFTER much thwart, Dwight Enys,
a sawbones and a former Royal
Navy officer, marries heiress
Caroline Penvenen in series
three. Even brooding Captain
Ross has brightened up a little.After its finale, Poldark’s greatest
fan says thanks for all the pilchards
V1CAPTAIN
BEEFCAKE
PASS me the spyglass!
Who is that hero a-
scything topless on
them there clifftops?
In series one, Aidan
Turner mows down
any complaints
about his debut as
Captain Poldark.